Sorry, fans of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," but Oprah Winfrey says she's not attempting to save the canceled soaps.

Though fans of both long-running serials have hoped Winfrey would keep the shows alive by airing them on her OWN network, the talk-show titan says it is time for the soaps to say goodbye.

"I understand, being a fan of 'All My Children,' growing up watching the 'Young and the Restless,' and other soaps, what it feels like to have a show that you love go off the air… I understand the loyalty, I understand the sense of disappointment," Winfrey said in a video recording.

"I appreciate that you all think I could save the soaps, but here is the bone marrow truth," she went on. "The soaps have been an institution in broadcast history and television because they have the support of the audience."

Winfrey explained that the ratings for soap operas have declined over the years and that "there just are not enough people who are at home in the daytime to watch them, and because of that they are going off the air. Believe me, if there was a dime left to be made from them on broadcast television it would still be happening."

The media mogul, whose long-running talk show will air its final episode on May 25, pointed out that everything has an expiration date.

"Because all good things come to an end, all things have their time — as do the soaps, as does the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' — I will not be taking on the responsibility of trying to revive an institution that for all intent and all purpose indicates that that time has come for it to be over," she said. "So thank you for believing that I could save them, but I really can't."

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It's fine that she can't take on the soaps, but why does she have to put them down and LIE about ratings being low or shows losing money? If she doesn know the actual ratings, the fact that millions of people still watch the shows every week and that OLTL is 3rd highly rated soaps (actually went up to 2nd) and is also popular among 18-48 crowd, she shouldn't say anything. The ratings for all tv programs are down compared to 20 years ago, people just don't watch tv as much as before. But people still watch the soaps and not just those who stay at home, there are professionals like me to record them. She could've just told that she they aren't good fit for her and leave it at that.

Soaps are losing money? Based on WHAT, exactly? Does anyone have the data?

Here's a little tidbit for you; OLTL comes in under budget every single year. They most certainly weren't "losing money," or their budget would have been cut more, accordingly.

ABC wants out of soaps because they don't want the hassle of producing them anymore. It takes actual effort to run them, something they can't be bothered with. They've all got a cell phone that'll scratch their back and flip hamburgers now. They'll run some reality shows from behind their phones and get back to texting.

Oprah says she can't save the soaps but obviouly doesnt want to!! She does have her OWSN network which replays soooo many of the shows on there now and plays old movies to boot!!!! With good writers and maybe a different airtime –not when we are all at work–they CAN and SHOULD remain on the air!! At this point ALL MY CHILDREN is the ONLY show on ABC I will watch, as after the announcement I am boycotting ABC and Disney and their sponsers!! Now I will boycott OWN and all of its repeats!!!! THANK YOU HOOVER for standing your ground and standing with us and not dumping –like OPRAH!!!!

If no one is home in the afternoon to watch those shows anymore, then why are they being replaced with other shows? This would mean there would be the same viewership problem with the shows that will take the place of the soaps. If no one is there to watch, there should be a blackout during the daytime where nothing is shown. Otherwise, the argument doesn't hold water.

this woman, Oprah Winfrey, the only time she gives something free to her audience is when she gets free from business, it is not that she gives away her own money, how cheap she is. Only in America we can knowledge her existence, she is a good for nothing personl

Well this comment from the big "O" "there just are not enough people who are at home in the daytime to watch them, and because of that they are going off the air." certainly that doesn't make any sense because then who is going to watch the new "stupid shows" they are going to put in there place if no one is home to watch!!! I thought the big "O" was suppose to be sooooo smart!!!!!

FACT; ALL THINGS HAVE THEIR TIME......THEN WHEN IS YOUR TIME TO MARRY
THE MAN YOU LOVE....OR HE MARRY YOU?
THE REASON I AM HARD ON HER, ALL HER WORKS ARE IN VAIN UNTIL
SHE STOP LIVING FOR OPRAH AND LIVE FOR GOD...SHE CAN'T SAVE THE
SOAPS – SHE FIRST HAS TO SAVE HERSELF.

I agree with olcranky. If its that no one is home watching, lets just do away with all daytime, and that includes new cooking shows taking the place of the soaps. Like we don't have enough shows of cooking, baking, bbqing, etc.
Its not that people don't watch them, they tvo them, or dvr them and watch them later. Opie sure could have been a hero by picking the soaps up. too bad.s

""there just are not enough people who are at home in the daytime to watch them, and because of that they are going off the air. "

Based on this, why put on any programming during the daytime, or why not relegate all cheap to make reality shows to daytime and scripted programming to when people are home? BTW how many people are watching shows on Oprah's network and will she just can OWN if her ratings are lower than the soaps?

Once again tptb are dissing the baby boomers.....we watch, we buy, we vote, we make and we break. However we aren't the only ones watching...college students...women who work who watch at night....their heads are up their you know what....the greedy networks aren't making the kind of money they can make with reality tv which is actually driving people away from watching ANY tv.....they don't have a clue because they don't live in the real world...Oprah hasn't lived in the real world in decades. Once I realized that...I stopped watching her.

This shows how greedy & money hungry people are. Soap opera fans tape the soaps daily & watch at night or on weekends when there is nothing else on TV. I hope Oprah's network fails. There aren't any shows on it now worth watching. Again, soap fan-protest Disney & ABC.

"I can't " means one of tow things. I won't or I don't know how. Now this is Oprah, so I'm sure she can find someone to produce them if she herself does not know how. She won't. ABC is dropping the soaps for the same reason she won't pick them up. They are LOSING money.

@Marian~The only reason you are saying those mean things about Beautiful Vixen is because she tells it like it is and is half the woman you wish you were bit<h. I bet you have b00b$ down to the ankles, big, fat and round! Soaps sucks and my wife watches that cr@p also.

Yes Oprah has her OWN network, but what makes you think she has the power to go against a conglamorate such as ABC? She obviosly doesnt. But think about it. If shes trying to launch a new network, and make it suceed, why would she try and save something that would be nothing but pure compition for her own network? She wouldnt. And shes not. She would try and take all the soap fans, and convert them to her network. Thats probably what shes doing now. Smart business move if you ask me.

@ LauraRB. When my very busy day is done & the house is quiet, I flip on the dvr & check out what's happening in "Pine Valley". You have the nerve to say I'm a complete waste of skin, really? If you knew what I did everyday, you'd be ashamed of yourself for making such a remark ! @ Keiffer. I heard Susan Lucci was going to Desperate Housewives.

I agree, I spend all day making things better for others. When I get home I turn on the dvr and watch amc but I assure you there will NEVER be a show from the OWN network on there. What a waste of airspace!!!!

Ha ha...I guess someone didn't like the comment I wrote on the last blog regarding the soaps so I'm guessing you got two thumbs up for saying i'm a mean troll. That's funny. I give you two thumbs up also because I can be mean. Night now :)

The perfect solution is to put soaps on at night. It will quickly solve the problem and gain new audiences of young people and maybe some men. It will challenge all the crappy shows that exist in the evening already!!

I totally agree with you. I've taped AMC to watch later at night or on the weekend for more than 20 years. They could run the soaps at 3 am and not mess with their day time or prime time viewing. Oprah doesn't need to pick up the soaps. Any channel could do it. I bet if they surveyed viewers to find out when they actually watch the soaps, they'd find that many, many people tape and watch it at their convenience. Afterall, many of us need to work during the day. Even folks who are home during the day are not always able to sit down and watch tv. I'm just heartsick about this cancellation.

NO WAY ! SLAVERY IS AGINST THE LAW. I AM NOT FOR SALE. NO WAY NO HOW. ALL YOU PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH DO IS THINK ABOUT BUYING AND SELLING PEOPLES AND OWNING SLAVES. YOU ARE ALL MEAN TROLLS LIKE BEAUTIFUL VIXEN.

Maybe the soaps in other counties don't keep killing people off and bringing them back to life later. Maybe they change up their soaps and make it more entertaining and not so fake. I think the spanish soaps only last for a while then ends and then another soap replace it. These stupid soaps keep going and going like a bad nightmare

How comes that soaps a mega successful in most countries. We have about 8 daily soaps in Germany. One of the most popular pulls 4m viewers every day (Germany has only 83m people). Soaps are not OUT. You have to take care of them and move them closer to primetime (early evening instead of afternoon).
It works in many countries. If U just TRY!

Sorry, I call poe–I'm gay, and I don't know any gay man who would call himself a "flamer". I also don't know any gay guys (effeminate or not) who watch soap operas. Your 2D stereotypes are failing you.

Oprah, I can't believe what you said about the soaps being cancelled because there's not enough women out there watching them. There has always been an female audience for soaps. Back in the day, women used to play them on the radio for background while they did their chores. Now the girls stop whatever they're doin" unless it's talking on the cellphone to their friends and they watch the soaps. The only reason that the soaps would be cancelled is that they have neglected their ghetto audience (you know, Oprah, like the "hood' you came from). All dey gotta do is change the names of the characters from "Ashley" to "LaShanda", mix in a few good lookin' bloods, season with some trashy language and ya'll got yourself a whole new audience. If you're looking for a sponsor, find out what National Enquirer would pay for some spot announcements.

"there just are not enough people who are at home in the daytime to watch them"
But we're told all the time (particularly by hosts of shows like yours, Oprah) that DVR and TIVO recordings are counted in the ratings as well. So people not being home should actually be LESS of an issue now than it was in the 80s on. Then, people were "time-shifting" with VCRs and it couldn't be counted – but no one was trying to cancel those shows.
I think that ABC is just cheap. Plus if this really is about daytime numbers, they shot themselves in the foot with the Soap Channel. People stopped TIVOing the daytime broadcasts because they could watch the whole week in one day on the weekend!
Meanwhile, if there's no one watching during the day.....why isn't "General Hospital" being canceled too?
This is corporate broadcasting cutting their bottom line to increase their profits – at their peril. How much "reality" can people take?

I found the whole "no one is home in the afternoon" argument invalid also. If unemployment is so high, where are all these people in the afternoon? Yeah, I don't buy it. Daytime is suffering from HACK writing syndrome and that is what is killing the soaps. No creativity whatsoever, not to mention lacking continuity. They could hire someone to write good stories, they just don't. They would rather pay millions to a couple of hosts on reality tv at night. Daytime paid for nighttime for decades and the networks have the colossal gall to say they are dead, if they are dead it's because they did not do preventative maintenance to them, and have completely ignored DVR and online viewing in the ratings. I really wish they would stop hiring hack writers and bad, inexperienced actors, the ratings and ad revenue would be there and until they try that method rather than all this nonsense of cutting that they have been doing, I won't believe the genre is truly dead. I am so OVER reality tv! Almost every long time nighttime tv show has some form of serialization/long term character development so it is there, they just have to hire the talent and make a few changes to mine that daytime gold.

I bet if the soap was strickly about black people she would have her network save it!!!! Speaking of neworks, I've always wondered why we can have BET (Black Entertainment Television) but not WET (White Entertainment Television)?

Name at least 3 shows off the top of your head (no Wikipedia or IMDB) that is CURRENTLY produced by, casts, and/or crews African Americans. Then you see why BET was created. But this would still be a moot point, since I don't know any black people that watch BET anymore.

Mitch, please find an original argument. The BET vs. WET has been so underdone. Add to that the Miss Black America vs. Miss America. (And as a sidenote ... the anti-gay folks who keep repeating the "Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve" line). Please, please, please, formulate your own thoughts and stop repeating the same things. Clearly BET exists to share a perspective that the mainstream had failed (and continue to) broadcast. Take a little time and educate yourself.

considering the whites are now the minority in many areas...... I applaud your note. Funny, the whites don't get all the benefits that the blacks sucked up when they were the minority. Doubt that will EVER happen, because the whites are ABOVE that kind of behavior.

all you oprah haters are funny. you don't like her, but you click on an article about her. the more you hate, the more she makes. you should be ashamed of yourself. if she called u up right now and made you an offer, you would sell ur souls. envious green little monsters. don't hate, it's bad for your health and you know you don't have oprah money to pay hospital bills lmaooooooooooooo

I love people who LOL at themselves through-out their posts......I makes me LOL at these laugh monsters....I guess they realizes without the "LOL" their posts would be boring, with no substantial backing, just a brainless opinion. o yes, LOL

It's her right to take or not take the show, but she should've checked her facts about the ratings and if the shows were making money. Instead she was lying on the national tv. Why don't you actually check the ratings like that millions of people still watch OLTL and AMC, especially OLTL and that OLTL is under budget every single year, and that it's ratings were going up lately.

Oprah's guiding principles are on display here. Basically, she's saying that she won't do it because it won't make her any money. Nothing wrong with that, but you fat women who love her for her "altruistic" nature should learn a lesson.

I think she can save them she just don't want to. If it was not for daytime she would have never had a show. I will never watch her again. In the video she was such a snob. I guess that's what being rich does to you. You would think with hundreds of thousands of people asking for her help she would have a heart and do it. Well let me tell you what if she can't help me or us. Lets not help her boycott her show and give up on her.